One of the major costs and labor-intensive aspects of maintaining a hotel capable of accommodating large numbers of guests is the maintenance of the cleanliness of guest bedding. This is a continuous and important requirement and an aspect of hotel operations that significantly factors into overhead costs.
Most hotels are conscientious in attending to everyday laundering of bedding such as sheets and pillowcases. Hotels, and even smaller establishments such as motels or bed-and-breakfasts, require laundry facilities on the premises of a size and scope capable of handling the demands of the particular establishment. The costs associated with laundry facilities can factor in significantly to the hotel's operational costs. These costs include the original purchase or lease price of the washers and dryers and other equipment, regular maintenance costs, the cost of laundry detergents and other cleaning supplies such as softeners and static removers, the cost of hot water, water, and power to run the machines, and also the various labor costs associated with the operation that includes significant time and labor in laundering bedspreads as these are currently designed. Another significant cost aspect is the increased inventory required for replacement bedspreads or while soiled bedspreads are awaiting laundering.
Consequently, whereas sheets and pillowcases generally receive the priority of everyday cleaning, bulkier bedspreads are cleaned very infrequently, for a number of reasons. One reason is that bedspreads are relatively bulky in comparison to sheets and can occupy up to ten times the volume per unit in a washer or dryer. More frequent laundering of bedspreads would therefore necessitate the purchase of additional equipment, increase the wear and frequency of breakdown of the machines, and necessitate larger laundry room spaces to accommodate the equipment, all factors that can significantly drive up hotel laundry costs.
Another reason is that the removal, handling and transporting of bulky bedspreads from guest room to laundry and back would significantly increase the workload on the hotel housekeeping staff and possibly require the use of larger and unwieldy handcarts. These could be more difficult to maneuver through hallways or into rooms and also cost more than existing handcarts. Yet another reason is that industry or state health standards have not fully addressed this issue and hotels have therefore not been forced or obligated to diligently attend to it.
There has, however, been a spate of recent publicity about the problem of unclean and unsanitary bedspreads in hotel rooms. Investigations and studies have demonstrated that bedspreads are laden with bodily fluids such as vaginal secretions and sperm, are contaminated with bacteria, body hair, and other foreign substances, and also contain vermin such as body lice and bed lice such as Pediculus humanus. The likelihood of a guest contracting an illness or a condition such as body lice is increased without frequent laundering of bedspreads. This is especially true in the case of resort hotels and other establishments having health clubs and swimming pools. Guests often change into bathing or swimming attire in their rooms, proceed to the pool or club, and when finished often proceed back to their rooms to change again. They may sit on the bed and on the bedspread while changing. If the bedspread is contaminated and unsanitary, a guest is more likely to contract one of these problems or conditions when partially or completely undressed and in direct contact with the bedspread.
Bedspreads commonly used in hotels are typically a one-piece construction, relatively bulky, and not water repellant. Other types of blankets, quilts, or bedspreads are known but for various reasons have not been used in high volume hotel applications.
One such design is termed a duvet cover. It has an outer shell and a removable interior layer. The shell, however, has just one opening along one side that extends to the shell bottom and then up the opposite side with the top, head portion closed. It is unduly cumbersome, however, to remove and then replace the interior layer, particularly for one person. The duvet is therefore not suitable for many large-volume, high-turnover hotel applications that require one person to service each guest room in a reasonable, cost-efficient amount of time. The duvet cover also does not provide a water or mildew-resistant liner.
Another design provides an outer shell, removable liner, a built-in pouch for a pillow, an opening at one end for inserting and removing the liner, and two openings at the opposite end for inserting one's hands to pull the liner into position. This is also a difficult and inefficient way to change the liner, and the bedspread is poorly suited for hotel use.